Top 10 Star Wars Characters: Happy Star Wars Day

May the Fourth be with You! Yes, today is May 4th; Star Wars day! And to celebrate Star Wars day, let's rank the Top 10 Star Wars characters from the movies, TV shows, video games, and novels!

Honorable Mention: Darth Revan

A central aspect of the Knights of the Old Republic video game, Darth Revan is a fixture of the Old Republic era. Revan's storyline showed me how powerful the Star Wars Expanded Universe could be, and if there is one EU story that should be adapted into a film, it should be Revan's story, or even better, a Netflix original series.

10: Rey

Introduced in The Force Awakens with a mysterious past, Rey stood out the most among the stellar new cast, largely thanks to Daisy Ridley's stunning performance. By the time the new trilogy concludes, I have a feeling that Rey will rank even higher on this list. At this point, we know very little about Rey's past, so we will have to wait and see what happens in the next film!

9: Boba Fett

How does a character with only 6 minutes 32 seconds, 4 lines, 5 complete sentences, and 27 words of dialogue become an iconic villain? Well, having one of the most bad*ss character designs ever and an insanely cool spaceship certainly helps. After the Original Trilogy, Boba Fett's backstory has been fleshed out, and honestly, a Boba Fett movie would be such a better idea than a Young Han Solo film, so here's to hoping!

8: R2-D2

Come on, who doesn't love this plucky little guy? Thanks to the audio editors, Kenny Baker, and the effects team, R2-D2 might not speak a word of English, but he has more personality than many main characters. 

7: Chewbacca

Everyone's favorite laughing fuzzball, Chewbacca is yet another iconic character, who never speaks a word of intelligible dialogue. With his return in The Force Awakens, Chewbacca will hopefully continue to be a lovable supporting character for our heroes.

6: Princess Leia

Revolutionary in many ways at the time for subverting the "Damsel in Distress" cliche by having the "Damsel" actually fight, Princess Leia is a landmark character in science fiction. 

5: Yoda

“Do, or do not. There is no try.” With his role in The Empire Strikes Back being especially noteworthy, Yoda is the exact opposite of the stereotypical "legendary warrior." He is the Jedi Master, the character that embodies everything that a Jedi is. 

4: Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan Kenobi stands as one of the few characters to be well represented in the Prequel trilogy, largely thanks to Ewan McGregor. Of course, Alec Guinness brilliantly played the character in Original trilogy, enough so to land an Oscar nomination. Is Obi-Wan Rey's father? Who knows, but we will find out soon.

3: Luke Skywalker

Often considered a "whiny" protagonist, unjustly so, Luke Skywalker is the quintessential example of the Hero's Journey. Each film, Luke progresses as a character, as a hero. He faces trials and tribulations on his journey, conflicted between dark and light, if only briefly. Now, in the new Trilogy, we will soon discover his new role.

2: Darth Vader

A few years ago, Darth Vader would have easily topped this list, and while he is certainly the greatest villain ever in fiction, he is edged out by my top pick. With that said, Vader is such a fascinating character. In Star Wars (1977), Vader's entrance is unforgettable, and arguably one of the best villain introductions ever. At first, Vader served as the imposing antagonist against our lovable heroes. While his past is hinted at the first film, little is uncovered until the ultimate plot twist is revealed. Darth Vader is Luke's father, and the entire dynamic of the character changes, which all comes together with his ultimate redemption in Return of the Jedi. Darth Vader is not just my favorite villain; he is always vying for number one spot as my favorite character of all-time. 

1: Han Solo

Was there ever a question that Han Solo would be number one? Heck, just look at my profile picture, post signature, or any number things and Han Solo is obviously my favorite Star Wars character of all-time. He is witty, bad*ss, a smart-mouth, and just plain cool. Throughout the Original Trilogy and The Force Awakens, Han progresses and develops from the heartless scoundrel that gunned down Greedo in the cantina to actually caring for someone other than himself by Return of the Jedi. However, *Force Awakens Spoilers* ultimately Han returns to the only thing he knows after personal tragedy. And finally, Han's character came full circle with his death by the hand of his son; a poetic end for a beloved character. *End Spoilers* And of course, Han shot first. Was there ever a question?

Who are your favorite Star Wars characters? Please comment below and May the Fourth be with You.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoiler Discussion - Part 2

It's time for Part 2 of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoiler Discussion! And as the title suggests, massive spoilers are ahead, so if you haven't seen the movie, what the heck have you been doing with your life!? Go watch it now! Now, let's talk some spoilers!

Starkiller Base

It's the Death Star, again, but bigger. As far as criticisms go, Starkiller base essentially being a bigger Death Star is the most valid, and honestly the only one with much weight behind the argument. Should the central McGuffin been something other than a giant weapon that destroys starsystems? Yeah, probably. Is it as big a deal as some are making it out to be? Nope, it's still different enough, and can you honestly think of something better?

With that said, using Starkiller Base to destroy basically all the politics in the Star Wars galaxy is rather brilliant. Now one of the worst parts of the Prequel Trilogy is completely out of the picture! As it turns out, there were some deleted scenes that take place about the Senate on the planets that were destroyed, which might have added some weight to the moment where they are destroyed, albeit at the cost of pacing. However, we will have to wait until the Blu-Ray to see if the scene would have been worth keeping in the film. But as a whole, Starkiller Base is the one plot point that is a bit too similar to the previous films. 

Poe Dameron Sidelined and Originally Died?

Poe Dameron is hailed as one of the many highlights of The Force Awakens and for good reason. Oscar Isaac made the character instantly likable, and his chemistry with Finn made for an awesome Bromance in 5 minutes! However, according to sources, Poe was said to have died in the Tie-Fighter crash in the original script. Probably after seeing how great of a character the writers had, the script was changed and Poe merely went missing in the crash. Many reviews complained that Poe did not receive enough screen. While I agree to a point, his exclusion is one of the many brilliant decisions that the writers made to prevent the film from being cluttered and overstuffed, like many films are today. Of course, Poe should definitely play a major role in Episode VIII now that Han Solo has died. 

Luke Skywalker

Thanks to the brilliant marketing, no knew that Luke Skywalker would have almost no screen time and zero lines of dialogue! And while some may be disappointed by his lack of screen time, nothing about the marketing alluded that Luke would have much of a role in the film. In fact, not including Luke is a brilliant decision by the creators. The Force Awakens benefits for the limited number of central characters and saving Luke for the next film should prove to be a great asset to the film. While not many people seem to disagree, Luke exclusion from the film was excellently executed.

Millennium Falcon: "The garbage will do"

Easily one of, if not, the best scene in the film is when Rey and Finn are running from the First Order to find a ship, Finn says, "What about that ship?" and Rey shouts, "That one's garbage." The quad-jumper ship that they are running towards explodes, and Rey shouts again, "The garbage will do," as the camera pans towards the Millennium Falcon! First time watching the movie, I literally gasped loud enough for my brother to hear two seats away. Just wow! That is how you introduce the Millennium Falcon! The scene makes the Millennium Falcon an integral part of the story and doesn't just stop everything to have a moment. The Millennium Falcon is shown, only the audience thinks of it as anything special, and the plot continues in possibly the best starfighter chase of the franchise, or at least since Return of the Jedi. Everything about the scene is perfectly executed. It highlights one of the many strengths of the film in that it doesn't dwell on the past to get the audience nostalgic. All of the aspects from the Original Trilogy are incorporated into the story organically.  

Do you have any thoughts on these topics about Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Please comment below and check back soon for more spoiler discussions!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoiler Discussion - Part 1

Welcome to part one of my multi-part spoiler discussion of Star Wars: The Force Awakens! If you have not seen The Force Awakens, go watch it now and then come back because major spoilers are ahead. For everyone else, this post is intended to discuss spoilers, so go crazy with spoilers and thoughts in the comments. This discussion series will focus on specific characters, moments, and points of discussion.

Supreme Leader Snoke and Crazy Theories

If one character could be changed, it would be Supreme Leader Snoke. Based on what we see in this film, having the brilliant Andy Serkis play a motion-capture character seemed unnecessary. Making him a CGI character might pay off in the sequels. However, the CGI quality was somewhat lacking in The Force Awakens. Then there is that moment when everyone wonders: "IS HE IS A FREAKING GIANT!? PLEASE NO!" Thankfully, it was a hologram, so he was probably just compensating for something.... But yeah, even if the creators were planning on making him a giant, hopefully they are listening to the backlash against the idea, and Snoke will either be small in stature or relatively normal.

Other than whether or not Snoke is a giant, the biggest thing about the character is the question of who the heck is he!? Is he Darth Plagueis? Or Palpatine? Heck, why not Jar Jar Binks? I'm sorry, but all these fan "theories" are getting a little out of hand! Some have even said Darth Vader or Mace Windu, which is absurd! And don't get me started on how dumb the time-traveling Kylo Ren "theory" is! My guess is the logical one: Snoke is a new character! At this point, people might end up disappointed if Snoke is not related to a preexisting character, but as long as Snoke is an interesting antagonist, I'll be satisfied. And Disney, please make the CGI look better in the next film!

Han Solo Dies

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO" HAN SOLO DIED!!!!!!! My favorite character in the history of fiction is dead! His death has even gotten me to change my profile picture back to a new picture of Han! But wow, watching my favorite character die was an experience! Thankfully, I did not hear any spoilers before seeing the film. However, believe it or not, I called his death as soon as a new Star Wars movie was announced. Sure, you might not believe me, and as crazy as it sounds, I never wanted to write about it because if I was correct, I might spoil the film for someone other than my brother. Heck, I never even told my friends, only my brother, Jacob.

With that aside, Han Solo's death was apparent to me as soon as he walked toward Kylo Ren on the walkway. However, giving almost a warning to audience was intended and created incredible amounts of tension as Kylo handed Han the Lightsaber. What made it all the more powerful is Ford's surprised, yet not sad, expression, as he helped his son in some way. It was painful to watch in the best way possible. Chewbacca's wail of anger and despair as he shot Kylo and mowed down some Stormtroopers was the perfect way to bring the audience back from the shock of Han's death. All around, a superbly executed scene with so much emotion! And Harrison Ford finally got to kill off his character like he and the writers wanted to in Return of the Jedi.

Leia and Chewie not Mourning

Han's death did lack in one area.... After Chewie, Rey, and Finn returned from the battle, Chew walks right past Leia! He just walks right on past as Rey hugs Leia. This is such a missed opportunity! Leia and Chewie knew Han better than anyone. As Chewie walks off the ship, Leia and Chewie should have embraced and mourned briefly, or something like that. Honestly, if there was one thing that I could change about The Force Awakens, this is it!

Do you have any thoughts on these topics about The Force Awakens? Please comment below and check back soon for more spoiler discussions!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Ukrainian Statue of Lenin Transformed Into Darth Vader

When a law passed in Ukraine that ordered all symbols and insignia of communist party rule in the country be removed, Ukrainians remodeled the statue of communist leader, Lenin, into Darth Vader. A government sanctioned remodeling of a statue into Darth Vader is actually kind of awesome. Why completely destroy a statue if you can change it into Darth Vader? Above is the video of its unveiling and below are pictures of Before and After. I apologize for the series of short posts lately. Until I see The Force Awakens, which is proving to be a nearly impossible task due to life and bad weather, trying to avoid spoilers means not going on my usual websites. However, as soon as I see it, expect plenty of exciting new posts! 

Source: IGN.com

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Top 5 Movie Fathers

Today is Father's Day, and to celebrate, it is time to rank the Best Dads in movies! My rankings are based on how memorable the character is, and less on how "good" a father they are. The qualification for the list is that the father in question is the biological father of characters in a story, which means no father figures, and the character's children must play a part in the film's story.

5: Bryan Mills (Taken)

One of Liam Neeson's most iconic roles, Bryan Mills is a man with a "very particular set of skills," and if he was not included on the list, you might never hear from me again. Aside from number one on the list, no other father has a more memorable quote (watch it above). With that said, the actual Taken films have not impressed me all that much. Sure, the first one is fun to watch with Neeson being all kinds of awesome, but it is an otherwise typical action flick. Regardless, Mills and his "particular skills" deserve a place on this list.

4: Clark Griswold (National Lampoon's Vacation)

 Easily the funniest father on the list, Clark Griswold just wants to have a fun vacation with family, and somehow, something, often times himself, just screws everything up! Clark is at his best towards the end of each film as he reaches the limits of his mental endurance and goes off on some of the most memorable comedic rants in cinema. My favorite being his rant at the end of Christmas Vacation, my favorite of the franchise.

3: Vito Corleone (The Godfather)

When constructing a list of film fathers, how could the Godfather not make the list!? If not, who knows, I might wake up with a horse’s head in my bed. All jokes aside, Vito Corleone, played by the brilliant Marlon Brando, is most definitely an unforgettable film father. Sure, you could make a case that his son should be on the list, but Michael rarely interacted with his children, whereas the entire plot of The Godfather revolves around Vito and his family. 

2: Professor Henry Jones

"Junior? It is you Junior!" Played by Sir Sean Connery, Professor Henry Jones Senior has been one of my favorite film fathers for many, many years. Of all the fathers on the list, no other is featured so prominently with his child than Henry Jones Senior. His banter with son is always entertaining to watch no matter how many times you watch it. The character added another layer of humanity to Indy's character, which made The Last Crusade almost as iconic as the original.

1: Darth Vader 

How could there be any other? If, for some absurd reason, you do not already know the most well known spoiler in the history of cinema, aka The Empire Strikes, do not continue reading. With that out of the way, Vader is easily the most iconic father in cinematic history. No other film father comes even close to Vader, or almost any character. Sure, Vader might not have exactly been the greatest father in the galaxy considering that he chopped off his son's hand, but we all make mistakes, right?  In the end, Vader sacrificed his own life for that of his son, and despite all of the pain he caused; he brought Balance to the Force.

Who are your favorite cinema dads? Please comment below and let me know!

Honorable Mention: Michael Corleone (The Godfather), Howard Stark, Jor El, Pa Kent, Joseph "Coop" Cooper (Interstellar),

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Top 10 Movie Villains: Part 3 (Final)

The final part of my Top 10 Movie Villains list is here. If you missed the previous parts you can click here for part 1 and here for part 2.

3: The Joker (The Dark Knight)

Quote: "You wanna know how I got these scars?"

How could Heath Ledger's Joker not make the list? Anyone who does not include him in the Top 10 would effectively be lynched by the internet! With that said, there is no denying that The Joker is a legendary film villain. Ledger’s performance is the highlight of The Dark Knight. For me personally, he is at least 90% of the reason The Dark Knight is entertaining to watch. Christian Bale's Batman is fine, but Ledger steals every scene he is in. My only minor issue with the Joker is that he is more of an antagonistic force opposed to a fully fleshed out character, and that definitely works perfectly for what the film required. 

2: Loki (Marvel)

Quote: "All humans crave subjugation."

Despite the fangirl raving, Loki is an incredibly complex character with well developed motivations and understandable actions. Starting with his first appearance in Thor, many viewers not familiar with the comics were apparently surprised that Loki turned out to be the villain in the film. In the comics, Loki was always present but rarely as memorable as Marvel's other villains, and after his appearance in The Avengers, Loki turned from a mid-tier Marvel villain to one of the most popular characters. In fact, I would go as far to say that the film version of Loki is better than the one in the comics at that time, or at least the ones I read (which were not many with him in it). Tom Hiddleston changed the character's image from a trickster into a tragic and likable villain that is still ultimately villainous. Loki is not just a compelling villain, but a well crafted character with just as much development as many protagonist, something rarely seen in film villains. Before anyone makes the argument that Loki is becoming more of an anti-hero than a villain, remember, his seemingly heroic actions in The Dark World *Spoilers* were ultimately to enact his plan to take the throne of Asgard from Odin. *End Spoilers* However, he can still be considered a "tragic villain." 

1: Darth Vader

Quote: "You have controlled your fear. Now, release your anger. Only your hatred can destroy me."

Could there be any other? Along with the Joker, Death Vader is easily the most iconic villain in the history of media. Whether or not Anakin in the prequels counts as Vader is debatable, but to me, Darth Vader is James Earl Jones voicing someone in the iconic suit, or at least after Anakin was dubbed Vader by Palpatine. In Star Wars (1977), Vader's entrance is unforgettable, and arguably the best villain introduction. At first, Vader served as the imposing antagonist against our lovable heroes. While his past is hinted at the first film, even more is revealed until the ultimate plot twist is revealed. (If, for whatever insane reason you do not know what the twist in Empire Strike Back is, continue to the comment section.) Darth Vader is Luke's father, and the entire dynamic of the character changes, which all comes together with his ultimate redemption in Return of the Jedi. Darth Vader is not just my favorite villain; he is always vying for number one spot as my favorite character of all-time. 

Who are your favorite movie villains? What do you think of my top picks? Please comment below and let me know! 

• Top 10 Movie Villains: Part 1
• Top 10 Movie Villains: Part 2

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Famous Film Fathers for Father's Day.

Since it is Father's Day here are some of the most famous fictional fathers across. This is not a list, just something featuring different fathers from across movies. Who are your favorite fictional fathers? Please comment below.

 

 

 

Darth Vader

Sure, Vader is not the best father; trying to kill his son on multiple occasions and turn him to the dark side, but it all worked out in end.

 

Henry Jones Sir. 

Han Solo

He will be in the next film and is already a father in the EU.

 

Luke Skywalker

Again, he is a father in the EU.

Odin

 

Uncle Ben

Not exactly a father, but a father figure.

 

John McClane

 

 

Jonathan Kent

 

 

Jor-El

 

 Kyle Reese

 

Bilbo Baggins

Father figure, not exactly a character's real father.

 

 

I am sure that I have probably forgotten some famous film fathers, who are your favorites?